Food for Thought: Host your meal and enjoy it, too

Click inside for the weekly food for thought with items on time-saving hosting tips, easy kale recipe, “Food Lovers Soup” by Aleksandra Malyska and more. Or check out these links:

Staff reports

If you're planning on hosting dinner this holiday season, don't let kitchen duty keep you from catching up with family and friends.

Hosting can be a rewarding experience, and you don't have to be absent for all the fun. Consider that the average American spends more than a half hour per day preparing food and cleaning up after a meal, according to the 2009 American Time Use Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

With a little planning and small strategic adjustments, you'll be able to dazzle your guests while enjoying quality time, which is what the holidays are all about.

Here's a few time-saving tricks:

Get organized. Set up beforehand, so you don't have to work around your guests. This includes setting the table in advance. It's also a good idea to make sure all of your cooking equipment is organized. Don't waste time digging for that spatula; put it out on the counter with your serving utensils. Make sure to empty the dishwater prior to guests' arrival. You'll thank yourself later.
Cut down on prep time. If you are cooking for a lot of people, finish everything that can be done before the day of the meal. Make and freeze casseroles in advance, or buy a few pre-made items instead of making everything from scratch.
Don't turn down help. While you might feel obligated to do everything yourself, your guests will be more than eager to help, so take all that you can get. Have people bring out prepared dishes to the table and bring dirty dishes back in the kitchen.
Clean as you go. Saving a mountain of dishes until the end can clutter up your kitchen and allow food to stick, adding to cleaning time. Try to clear dishes after each course and rinse them before dropping them into the dishwasher. Run silverware and candleholders under hot water to remove any residue. Don't forget that your garbage disposal is great for getting rid of food scraps and eliminating trash pileup.

-- ARA

Easy recipe

Kale and Potato Soup

4 potatoes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 pounds kale

½ pound link sausage, cooked and sliced

Peel and chop potatoes. Combine with oil and water. Cook 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove potatoes, reserving liquid. Mash potatoes and return to the liquid.

The Food and Drug Administration requires most foods (breads, cereals, canned and frozen foods, snacks, drinks, etc.) to be labeled with nutrition information. Such labeling is voluntary for raw produce (fruits and vegetables) and fish.

Somebody get me a tongue scraper, stat! I must get the horrible aftertaste of this product out of my mouth. This is a contender for all sorts of prizes, including Most Complicated Prep Instructions and Worst Sauce Award.

Adding insult to injury is the price for meatless pasta and sauce. For the amount it costs, you can get a high quality frozen dinner that includes meat and vegetables.

Jennifer Mastroianni: SPATULA DOWN

I needed a magnifying glass to read the directions, a personal assistant to help me figure them out, a clothespin to clamp on my nose while eating and syrup of ipecac to administer afterward; terrible on so many levels.

-- The Repository

Food Quiz

The first known cookbook was actually written about Greek cuisine, rather than Roman. When was it written?

A. 110 AD

B. 440 BC

C. 330 BC

D. 220 AD

-- funtrivia.com

Answer is at bottom of column

Wise to the Word: Wahoo

[wah-HOO, WAH-hoo] With a flavor often compared to that of albacore tuna, wahoo's moderate- to high-fat flesh is fine, white (with a little red) and slightly sweet. In fact, Hawaiians call this fish “ono,” which means "sweet." Wahoo are normally caught in the 20- to 40-pound range, though they can get much larger. They are usually in the form of chunks or fillet pieces when they reach the market. Wahoo can be baked, broiled or grilled.

-- epicurious.com

Number to Know

123: A 5-ounce glass of Cabernet Sauvignon wine is 123 calories.

-– calorielab.com

The Dish On …

“Food Lovers Soup” by Aleksandra Malyska

Love food? This stylish cookbook will help feed your passion by offering a collection of delicious recipes that are straightforward to prepare, don't require hours in the kitchen and are a feast for the eyes, as well. Each mouth-watering recipe is clearly set out with a list of ingredients, preparation and cooking times, step-by-step instructions and a beautifully photographed serving suggestion.

-- Barnes & Noble

From the Beer Nut’s Blog: Full Sail ventures to northeast market

Full Sail, a brewery from Oregon, has announced they will begin distributing its beers in Massachusetts.

I’m always happy to hear when a new brewery is coming to the state for a few reasons: 1) I like to try beers I’ve never had, and 2) I think having more competition can force the other breweries, including local breweries, to step up their game and brew even better beers.

Here’s the release:

Hood River, Oregon – Full Sail Brewing Company, renown for their internationally award-winning beers, has announced that they have expanded distribution to additional markets in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire in partnership with L. Knife & Son.

“We are very proud to enter the northeast markets with such a strong distributor partner. L. Knife has had a long-term commitment to craft beer and has a deep understanding of how to go to market with our beers,” said Irene Firmat, Full Sail’s Founder and CEO.